INTEGRITY
by BAEBE
Summary: ɪ ɴ ᴛ ᴇ ɢ ʀ ɪ ᴛ ʏ in which there are many secrets in this world and Andromeda is has her fair share of them
1. Blue

Her nights had become so strange recently. The peaceful black she used to be greeted with was now gone, replaced with a loop of scenes both a mixture of a dreamland and a nightmare. She never knew what she would see when she would drift to sleep.

She was haunted with the mirrored image of her own eyes. So blue they glowed, so blue and so empty they scared her.

"Is it like a premonition?" Penelope — her little sister — had asked one night, her golden hair a tangled mess and her wide brown eyes puffy. She had been the one to come when Andromeda's screams and shouts had echoed through the empty halls of their home. "Maybe you're going to meet an old man! Maybe you're going to marry him!" She cackled, only to receive a pillow to the face.

"It's not just the old man." Andromeda said, with a loud sigh, after giving the young girl a not so amused stare. "I see millions of people, living their lives and going about their days normally! They all wear such unusual clothing and have such gorgeous faces! They live on floating islands and amongst the clouds! It's beautiful!" She says with the sort of excitement Penelope or anyone for that matter, rarely saw on her.

In Penelope's eyes Andromeda was always serious. She was always listening to their parents and doing what they wanted her too. Penelope didn't like how much of a follower she was, she wanted her big sister to play with her sometimes and dance out in the fields with her, when the sun is high and the flowers are blossoming. Like they used to.

To Andromeda, she was just doing what she thought was right. "It all seems too vivid, too real to just be a figment of my own imagination."

And it was, the castle was huge, people came and went, but she never saw the royalty. At least she thinks she doesn't. Everything was a vivid fantasy built off her wildest most fantastic of dreams and nightmares.

"It doesn't sound that much like a nightmare too me," Penelope told her, hugging the pillow Andromeda had tossed at her, to her chest. "More like a wonderful dream."

"Sometimes it feels that way," she admits, shuffling to the side, to allow the her sister more room. "And sometimes it doesn't." Her expression transforms into something dark. It scares Penelope and her mind churns with even darker thoughts and ideas.

"Does the old man try to hurt you?" Penelope worries, she climbs under the blanket, cuddling into her older sisters side. "Do people die?!"

Andromeda frowned, twisting over onto her side so she could face her. "No," She says slowly. "No, he just keeps saying this one name, over and over, and he... cries. He cries a lot, actually." She pulls her blanket up and under her chin. "He seems very sad."

The man had been a reoccurring scene in her dreams. He was always there, always in that same room, saying that same name. The only reason she knew it wasn't an exact repeat of the same dream, was because he moved, he did things. One dream he would be sitting in the corner of his room, the next he was pacing the room. The only constant about him was the name he always spoke and the pain that never left his eyes.

He was as haunted as she felt, his eyes so hollow and hurt, it made her heart ache at the sight of them. It kept her awake, thinking about what could have happened to this man to make him so sullen. She bites her cheek, feeling the exhaustion of her countless sleepless nights hit her like a train. She looks to her sister and sees the same exhausted eyes, just a different colour.

Penelope stares at her expectantly with wide, young eyes, and Andromeda realised she should probably stop talking. Penelope is young, she suffers from nightmares too, but not like Andromeda's. Her imagination is wild — as any child's should be — and seeing those young impressionable eyes staring up at her, made her realise her error. "What's the name?" Penelope asks, her curiosity as high as Andromeda's excitement had been.

"Hmm?"

"What's the name he says?"

"..." she's silent, feeling the guilt rise in her chest. If she were to cause any of Penelope's nightmares she'd never forgive herself. "It doesn't matter." She says, with a gentle, tired smile. "Let's not talk of my dreams anymore, we should be getting to sleep, no?"

It was late, a little after one in the morning.

Penelope sits up. "Why can't I know?!" She asks. "It's just one name."

"Exactly, it's just one name." She taps Penelope's nose softly. "And you're a child that doesn't need to hear about the things that scare me."

Her pout deepens and she crosses her arms. "I'm not a child!" She exclaimed. "I'm a woman!"

Yes, Andromeda thought amused. An eleven-year-old woman.

"Mmhmm," she hums tiredly, nestling her head into her pillow, deciding against voicing her thoughts and instead pats the pillow beside her. "And I'm a queen, who rules the kingdom in the sky." she chuckled, that's funny to think, a fifteen-year-old as a queen.

She knew referencing Penelope's favourite bed time story would distract her from asking any further questions about her dreams.

"The one hidden in the clouds?" Penelope takes her offer, pulling Andromeda's duvet over her shoulder and laying back down into the mountain of pillows on her older sisters king sized bed. "From the book?"

She nods. "That one exactly."

Penelope smiles tiredly. "I like that one."

"Me too." As Her eyes fluttered shut, Penelope pipes up.

"Anny?" She whispers so quietly that she hardly hears it. "Anny?" She repeats, gently tapping her shoulder.

Andromeda's eyes flutter open, she wants to sleep she's so tired, but still she asks; "Yes?"

Penelope stares at her worryingly, she plays with the edge of Andromeda's blanket. "Is... he there, in your dreams?"

Andromeda's mind is hazy, it takes her a couple seconds to realise who she is referring too. "..." she's struck like lightning with the memory of him, that boy. "... no." She wishes he was, she wouldn't be so scared.

Penelope looks dejected, she covers the bottom half of her face with the blanket but that doesn't hide the tears forming in her eyes. "Oh."

This time those pain filled blue eyes weren't there to greet her, just the endless black, which she welcomed with relieved and opened arms.

That was her first good sleep in a year.


	2. Thehardpartofthejob

It was amazing the impression some people could leave on you. Andromeda would marvel over the fact she could distinctly remember certain people, just because of the smallest of things they'd done the day she'd met them. She remembers when she was young, ten maybe, and she met her nanny for the first time. She was a grouchy woman, but gentle when it came to her. The first thing Andromeda could remember her doing was smiling at her and then offering to help her with her flower crown. It had made her so happy at the time, that even now it brought a smile to her face.

She hadn't seen the old woman in years, and yet that memory still glistened like fresh paint in her mind.

In her head she sees a glimpse of dark blue eyes, that mirrored the night sky above her and a dirty, frowning face. Yeah, she smiles. First impressions really are important. I'll never forget that day.

"Andromeda!" Her teacher calls for her, his voice echoes off the stone and dirt walls of their home. She could see his silhouette illuminated by the moons bright glow, his back was to her, his cloak billows in the night breeze. From where she lay he looks like a hero, and to her he really was.

It had been over four years since the day they'd first met and there was no doubt in her mind that he had been her most memorable first meeting. And it definitely hadn't been for the greatest of things, either. Even still, the mysterious man was her teacher and hero, he had spent all of these four years helping her.

She grunts tiredly, sitting up in her soft fur bed on the floor, brushing her white hair behind her ear. The fire that had been lit a couple hours prior was still burning bright, and it should be, they'd both kept a good eye on it. "What?" She grumbles, rubbing her eyes. "I was trying to sleep."

"You have a letter from the guild."

What?

She was up in seconds, running for the caves entrance. She doesn't shiver in the icy night air, her bare skin welcomes the cold. "Don't open it!" She cries.

"Too late~!"

"Ugh, Mead!!"

"Uh, uh, uh! That's Mr. Mead too you." He sings, holding the letter out of her reach. "You rich kids need to learn to respect your elders, especially us teachers!" He shakes his head and tuts, his dark brown locks move and he's quick to sweep them back behind his ear.

She growls under her breath, huffing at the childish manner her teacher acted in. "What does it say?" She sighs. A letter from the guild always meant trouble, a new mission for them, perhaps? But why would they send it to her? The only time she's received a letter addressed solely to herself, was when she was fully accepted into the nameless guild. Even then it was just a blank piece of paper in an envelope with her name on it.

"You've got yourself your first solo mission." he says cheerfully, like he expected it.

She goes quiet.

"... What?"

Solo mission? Why was she getting a solo mission?! She'd only been in the guild for three years and she didn't know about anybody else, but that didn't seem to be enough time to warrant a solo mission!!

"Mmhmm~ It's an undercover job too!" He squints at the paper, leaning back on the heels of his bare feet. "Blue, student of the Paper is to infiltrate and investigate the Island of Galuna... Yada, yada, yada... immediate action is required... you will be payed a total of... SIX MILLION JEWEL!!!"

She had to ask. "Is that a lot?"

Mead's mouth drops open. "Wha- OF COURSE IT IS!!" He sneers spitefully at her. "You rich kids are assholes! I didn't even get offered that much for my first solo!! Grrrrr!!"

"What!?" She gasps, offended. "How am I an asshole for asking a question!? That makes no sense!" She exclaims, throwing her hands over her head. All she wanted to do was sleep and dream of those dark blue eyes, but her child of a teacher was making everything so much harder!

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!!" He pokes his tongue at her.

"Oh my god, shut up!" She said through grinding teeth, Andromeda truly didn't understand how this twenty-five-year-old man could act like such a child! How was he the strongest man in the guild!? She's massaging the crease between her eyebrows, she could feel the tension rise in her jaw. He was a walking headache!

The reality of it all suddenly dawns on her; she'd be alone, without him there to guide her. The thought of that... it made her uneasy. "Could..." she didn't know if she should say it, it was so embarrassing, but she felt she needed too. Just to make sure.

"Hmmm?" Mead tilts his head, his dark brown eyes swinging with curiosity and a kindness he'd show only for her.

"Could... could you come with me?" She feels like a kid asking her father to hold her hand in the dark. She chewed the inside of her cheek and twisted her finger between one another, her cheeks feel warm and she can only imagine what she looks like right now.

Her stupidly childish teacher smiles at her, he places his hands on her shoulders and squeezes gently. "You'll do great, kid." He says. "I have no doubt in my mind that my favourite student will do amazing on her first solo!"

She gave a deadpanned expression. "I'm your only student."

"Just take the compliment, damn it!"

She shook her head, smiling at him. "Thank you," She bows to him. "For being my teacher." she would never admit how fond she was of this man child.

"Hahaha! That's what I like to hear!" He laughed, hand clapping against her shoulder repeatedly. "Now start packing! They want you there by sunrise!"

Her eyes go wide. "What!? Sunrise!?" She turns and runs for the cave. "It's already midnight! How am I going to get there on time!?" She was in a frantic hurry, ripping apart the cave to find everything that she should take.

"Getting there will be the easy part, Anny." He tells her as she hastily packs a few things into a bag. He tosses her a magical device, one he'd fiddled with in his spare time, so that it's effects would last longer. "Use that to change you hair colour, they'll figure out who you are before you even open your mouth. Your hair is too obvious, choose something that will help your new character. Think of this like an acting job, you're going to be playing as another girl for a while."

She nods, she knew as much. "What's the hard part going to be?" She questioned, inspecting the new item. What colour should she choose? What colour was her new character going to be?

He looks her in the eyes, speaking honestly. "Becoming one of them." He says. "That'll be the hardest part. Getting them to believe you might take months, maybe even longer."

"What do I do to get them to believe me?" She asks.

His expression becomes dark and serious. "Anything and everything."

She swallowed roughly, she knew in previous jobs together that Mead had taken the brunt of the work. He practically held her hand through them all, guiding her through it like a true teacher. That didn't mean she was weak either. She'd spent four years straight training and practicing her magic and self defence, Andromeda was no run of the mill mage, not anymore.

"I'm not going to baby you anymore Andromeda. You're a woman now, an adult." He said seriously. "That's why I won't be going on missions with you anymore."

It was like a bomb had been dropped. "What!?" She shouted, dropping her bag and the magic device to the ground. "Why not!?"

He sighs, picking up her dropped belongings. "Like I said, you're an adult now, Andromeda." He hands them back to her. "So, the guild and I are going to treat you like one. Your birthday is in four months, you're old enough and strong enough to take care of yourself." It was a case of tough love, she realised. Maybe not that tough, but it was pushing her outside of her comfort zone, so tough enough.

She took a deep breath, trying to relax herself. He was right. He couldn't keep babying her forever, even if she felt like he needed to. "Okay," she whispered.A new fire of determination lighting itself in her eyes.

He grinned at her, proud of how far she'd come over the years. "You ready?"

Galuna Island, that's a pretty remote part of Fiore, the only way there would be through Hargeon, I'd have to get someone to take me there by boat.

Deep breath, eyes open. "Yeah, I'm ready."


End file.
